…in the coming months. The Sabres now embark on a tough January/February stretch where they play most of the Western and Eastern Conference powers. This should show us whether Buffalo’s truly belongs among the NHL’s elite. They outwork pretty much every team they play, despite a perceived talent deficiency compared with other clubs. They’re reminiscent of the ’99 team that went to the Finals, so I think their work ethic is a good omen. Time will tell. They’ve definitely won over the fans in Buffalo after a rather lacklaster start (attendance and support-wise) at the beginning of the season, even though they’d consistenly been one of the best teams in the league early on. HSBC Arena was packed with a raucous crowd on Saturday night; the old “1-2-3-4-5-6-we want seven” [goals] chant from the old days at Memorial Auditorium even made an appearance. Fans are starting to believe.